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Why CAF withdrew the organization of CAN 2025 from Guinea

CAF has decided to withdraw the organization of CAN 2025 from Guinea. A decision taken three years before the competition, which angers the transition authorities.

Thunderbolt in Guinea: while Mamadi Doumbouya, the president of the transition since the coup last September, had made the organization of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) a "national priority", the Confederation of African Football finally decided to withdraw it. A well-prepared decision. Indeed, ten days before the announcement of his sentence, CAF had made the trip to Guinea. "We did not come to withdraw the organization of the CAN from Guinea, but to see if it has any proposals to convince CAF to trust it", indicated the members of the delegation who, it seems , actually already had an idea in mind.

Behind the scenes, arguing about the delays in the work, CAF had indicated that, failing to organize CAN 2025, Guinea could again be the host country in 2027. But South African President Patrice Motsepe decided otherwise. “I came to Guinea today out of respect for the people of Guinea. I wanted to discuss CAF's willingness to advise and work with football stakeholders to build and build sports infrastructure and facilities in this country. Guinea will be able to apply with other competing nations for the organization of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) which will take place after the edition in Algeria, given the decision of CAF not to organize the CAN TotalEnergies 2025 in Guinea”.

Who to organize CAN 2025?

There is therefore no question today of CAN 2025, nor of CAN 2027. This is enough to disappoint the president of the transition, who had nevertheless cleaned up within the Organizing Committee of the CAN (COCAN), by appointing at its head Lansana Bea Diallo, the Minister of Sports.

Doumbouya also sees it as a political act: Cameroon was, only a few weeks before the CAN, not ready and had been able to organize the competition. Guinea, she still had plenty of time to prepare, he believes. "It's a disappointment because, once again, as in many international organizations, the financial lobby is more powerful than the realities," said the government spokesperson. We are almost three years away from the deadline. The biggest stadiums that are built today are built in twenty-four months. The idea of ​​saying that it is not possible to build all these infrastructures in twenty-four months is a prejudice”.

Could the "lack of infrastructure and facilities in Guinea capable of hosting a world-class African Cup of Nations" be a pretext?

Anyway, CAF will now have to find a new host country. The call for applications has been launched. Senegal, Morocco, Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana in partnership with Namibia have positioned themselves to host CAN 2027. One of them may well have the pleasant surprise of organizing it earlier. Burkina Faso has also placed itself on the list of contenders. But after last weekend's coup, not sure that the country is a favourite.
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